(Rochester, N.Y.) – The owner of Dark Horse coffee on Dewey Avenue found a surprise outside her shop this weekend.
“I drove up and was like, whoa! What's that?” said Bonnie Haley.
A colorful, crocheted square was wrapped around a tree.
“It draws attention to our neighborhood. People drive by and they see that and it's like, ‘Wow, what is that?’” said Haley.
The crocheted pieces are slowly popping up all over the Maplewood neighborhood, on signposts and trees.
“I'm the Maplewood yarn bomber,” said Karen Duncan. “I was at the library and they had the book called ‘Yarn-Bombing’ and that is what started it. We've got to do that right now!”
Yarn-bombing, also known as knit graffiti, is a national trend that aims to beautify neighborhoods. Duncan also wants to get noticed for her work, which she sells online. She hopes to inspire people to take up crocheting.
“I’ve had a bunch of people on Facebook or email say, ‘Did you do that? Why are you doing that?’ And a lot of requests to come to their houses and put them up,” said Duncan.
Duncan would like others to join her in yarn-bombing the neighborhood.
“I have another one that's going to go up at the corner of Raines and Magee tomorrow morning,” she said.
“I hope she surprises a lot of other people, too,” said Haley. “She can come to my house and do it!”
